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L4 2 Inheritance Adn Polymorphism
L4 2 Inheritance Adn Polymorphism
1
Motivations
Suppose you will define classes to model circles,
rectangles, and triangles. These classes have many
common features. What is the best way to design
these classes so to avoid redundancy? The answer
is to use inheritance.
2
Superclasses and Subclasses
GeometricObject
-color: String The color of the object (default: white).
-filled: boolean Indicates whether the object is filled with a color (default: false).
-dateCreated: java.util.Date The date when the object was created.
+GeometricObject() Creates a GeometricObject.
+GeometricObject(color: String, Creates a GeometricObject with the specified color and filled
filled: boolean) values.
+getColor(): String Returns the color.
+setColor(color: String): void Sets a new color.
+isFilled(): boolean Returns the filled property.
+setFilled(filled: boolean): void Sets a new filled property.
+getDateCreated(): java.util.Date Returns the dateCreated.
+toString(): String Returns a string representation of this object.
Circle Rectangle
-radius: double -width: double
+Circle() -height: double
+Circle(radius: double) +Rectangle()
+Circle(radius: double, color: String, +Rectangle(width: double, height: double)
filled: boolean) +Rectangle(width: double, height: double
+getRadius(): double color: String, filled: boolean)
+setRadius(radius: double): void +getWidth(): double
+getArea(): double +setWidth(width: double): void
+getPerimeter(): double +getHeight(): double
+getDiameter(): double +setHeight(height: double): void
+printCircle(): void +getArea(): double
+getPerimeter(): double
3
Are superclass’s Constructor
Inherited?
No. They are not inherited.
They are invoked explicitly or implicitly.
Explicitly using the super keyword.
A constructor is used to construct an instance of a class.
Unlike properties and methods, a superclass's
constructors are not inherited in the subclass. They can
only be invoked from the subclasses' constructors, using
the keyword super. If the keyword super is not explicitly
used, the superclass's no-arg constructor is
automatically invoked.
4
Superclass’s Constructor Is Always Invoked
A constructor may invoke an overloaded constructor or its
superclass’s constructor. If none of them is invoked
explicitly, the compiler puts super() as the first statement
in the constructor. For example,
5
Using the Keyword super
The keyword super refers to the superclass
of the class in which super appears. This
keyword can be used in two ways:
✦ To call a superclass constructor
✦ To call a superclass method
6
CAUTION
7
Constructor Chaining
Constructing an instance of a class invokes all the superclasses’ constructors
along the inheritance chain. This is known as constructor chaining.
public class Faculty extends Employee {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Faculty();
}
public Faculty() {
System.out.println("(4) Faculty's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
public Employee(String s) {
System.out.println(s);
}
}
class Person {
public Person() {
System.out.println("(1) Person's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
8
animation
Trace Execution
public class Faculty extends Employee {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Faculty(); 1. Start from the
} main method
public Faculty() {
System.out.println("(4) Faculty's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
public Employee(String s) {
System.out.println(s);
}
}
class Person {
public Person() {
System.out.println("(1) Person's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
9
animation
Trace Execution
public class Faculty extends Employee {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Faculty(); 2. Invoke Faculty
} constructor
public Faculty() {
System.out.println("(4) Faculty's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
public Employee(String s) {
System.out.println(s);
}
}
class Person {
public Person() {
System.out.println("(1) Person's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
10
animation
Trace Execution
public class Faculty extends Employee {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Faculty();
}
public Faculty() {
System.out.println("(4) Faculty's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
} 3. Invoke Employee’s no-
class Employee extends Person {
arg constructor
public Employee() {
this("(2) Invoke Employee’s overloaded constructor");
System.out.println("(3) Employee's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
public Employee(String s) {
System.out.println(s);
}
}
class Person {
public Person() {
System.out.println("(1) Person's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
11
animation
Trace Execution
public class Faculty extends Employee {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Faculty();
}
public Faculty() {
System.out.println("(4) Faculty's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
4. Invoke Employee(String)
class Employee extends Person { constructor
public Employee() {
this("(2) Invoke Employee’s overloaded constructor");
System.out.println("(3) Employee's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
public Employee(String s) {
System.out.println(s);
}
}
class Person {
public Person() {
System.out.println("(1) Person's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
12
animation
Trace Execution
public class Faculty extends Employee {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Faculty();
}
public Faculty() {
System.out.println("(4) Faculty's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
public Employee(String s) {
System.out.println(s);
}
} 5. Invoke Person() constructor
class Person {
public Person() {
System.out.println("(1) Person's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
13
animation
Trace Execution
public class Faculty extends Employee {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Faculty();
}
public Faculty() {
System.out.println("(4) Faculty's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
public Employee(String s) {
System.out.println(s);
}
}
6. Execute println
class Person {
public Person() {
System.out.println("(1) Person's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
14
animation
Trace Execution
public class Faculty extends Employee {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Faculty();
}
public Faculty() {
System.out.println("(4) Faculty's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
public Employee(String s) {
System.out.println(s);
}
}
7. Execute println
class Person {
public Person() {
System.out.println("(1) Person's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
15
animation
Trace Execution
public class Faculty extends Employee {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Faculty();
}
public Faculty() {
System.out.println("(4) Faculty's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
public Employee(String s) {
System.out.println(s);
}
}
8. Execute println
class Person {
public Person() {
System.out.println("(1) Person's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
16
animation
Trace Execution
public class Faculty extends Employee {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Faculty();
}
public Faculty() {
System.out.println("(4) Faculty's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
9. Execute println
class Employee extends Person {
public Employee() {
this("(2) Invoke Employee’s overloaded constructor");
System.out.println("(3) Employee's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
public Employee(String s) {
System.out.println(s);
}
}
class Person {
public Person() {
System.out.println("(1) Person's no-arg constructor is invoked");
}
}
17
Example on the Impact of a Superclass
without no-arg Constructor
Find out the errors in the program:
public class Apple extends Fruit {
}
class Fruit {
public Fruit(String name) {
System.out.println("Fruit's constructor is invoked");
}
}
18
Defining a Subclass
A subclass inherits from a superclass. You can also:
✦ Add new properties
✦ Add new methods
✦ Override the methods of the superclass
19
Calling Superclass Methods
You could rewrite the printCircle() method in the Circle class as
follows:
20
Overriding Methods in the Superclass
A subclass inherits methods from a superclass. Sometimes it is
necessary for the subclass to modify the implementation of a method
defined in the superclass. This is referred to as method overriding.
21
NOTE
22
NOTE
23
Overriding vs. Overloading
public class Test { public class T est {
publ ic stat ic void main( String[ ] args) { publi c stati c void main(St ring[] args) {
A a = new A(); A a = new A();
a. p(10); a.p (10);
a. p(10.0) ; a.p (10.0);
} }
} }
class B { class B {
publ ic void p(doub le i) { publi c void p(doubl e i) {
Sy stem.ou t.print ln(i * 2); Sys tem.out .printl n(i * 2 );
} }
} }
24
The Object Class and Its Methods
Every class in Java is descended from the
java.lang.Object class. If no inheritance is
specified when a class is defined, the
superclass of the class is Object.
25
Object Class
26
The toString() method in Object
The toString() method returns a string representation of the
object. The default implementation returns a string consisting
of a class name of which the object is an instance, the at sign
(@), and a number representing this object.
27
Polymorphism
Polymorphism means that a variable of a supertype
can refer to a subtype object.
28
Polymorphism, Dynamic Binding and Generic Programming
public class PolymorphismDemo {
public static void main(String[] args) {
m(new GraduateStudent()); Method m takes a parameter
m(new Student());
m(new Person());
of the Object type. You can
m(new Object()); invoke it with any object.
}
public static void m(Object x) { An object of a subtype can be used wherever its
System.out.println(x.toString());
} supertype value is required. This feature is
}
known as polymorphism.
class GraduateStudent extends Student {
}
class Student extends Person { When the method m(Object x) is executed, the
public String toString() {
return "Student";
argument x’s toString method is invoked. x
} may be an instance of GraduateStudent,
}
Student, Person, or Object. Classes
class Person extends Object {
public String toString() {
GraduateStudent, Student, Person, and Object
return "Person"; have their own implementation of the toString
}
} method. Which implementation is used will be
determined dynamically by the Java Virtual
Machine at runtime. This capability is known
as dynamic binding.
29
Dynamic Binding
Dynamic binding works as follows: Suppose an object o is an
instance of classes C1, C2, ..., Cn-1, and Cn, where C1 is a subclass
of C2, C2 is a subclass of C3, ..., and Cn-1 is a subclass of Cn. That
is, Cn is the most general class, and C1 is the most specific class.
In Java, Cn is the Object class. If o invokes a method p, the JVM
searches the implementation for the method p in C1, C2, ..., Cn-1
and Cn, in this order, until it is found. Once an implementation is
found, the search stops and the first-found implementation is
invoked.
General
Cn Cn-1 ..... C2 C1
Student b = o;
33
The equals Method
The equals() method compares the
contents of two objects. The default implementation of the
equals method in the Object class is as follows:
public boolean equals(Object obj) {
return this == obj;
}
public boolean equals(Object o) {
For example, the if (o instanceof Circle) {
equals method is return radius == ((Circle)o).radius;
overridden in }
the Circle else
return false;
class. }
34
NOTE
The == comparison operator is used for
comparing two primitive data type values or for
determining whether two objects have the same
references. The equals method is intended to
test whether two objects have the same
contents, provided that the method is modified
in the defining class of the objects. The ==
operator is stronger than the equals method, in
that the == operator checks whether the two
reference variables refer to the same object.
35
The ArrayList Class
You can create an array to store objects. But the array’s size is fixed
once the array is created. Java provides the ArrayList class that can
be used to store an unlimited number of objects.
java.util.ArrayList<E>
+Arra yList( ) Creates an empty list.
+add( o: E) : voi d Appends a new ele ment o at the e nd of this list.
+add( index: int, o: E ) : v oid Adds a ne w e le ment o at the specified index in this list.
+clea r(): v oid Re moves a ll the e le ments from this list.
+cont ains(o : Obj ect): bool ean Re turns true if this list contains the ele ment o.
+get( index: int) : E Re turns the e le ment from this list at the specified index.
+inde xOf(o: Obje ct) : int Re turns the inde x of the first matching element in this list.
+isEm pty(): bool ean Re turns true if this list contains no elements.
+last IndexO f(o: Objec t) : int Re turns the inde x of the la st matc hing eleme nt in this list.
+remo ve(o: Objec t): b oolea n Re moves the element o from this list.
+size (): in t Re turns the number of elements in this list.
+remo ve(ind ex: i nt) : bool ean Re moves the element at the specified inde x.
+set( index: int, o: E ) : E Sets the e le ment at the specified index.
36
Differences and Similarities between
Arrays and ArrayList
Operation Array ArrayList
37
Array Lists from/to Arrays
Creating an ArrayList from an array of objects:
String[] array = {"red", "green", "blue"};
ArrayList<String> list = new
ArrayList<>(Arrays.asList(array));
38
The MyStack Classes
A stack to hold objects.
M yStack
-list: A rra yList A list to store elem e nts.
+ isE m pty(): b oo lea n R etu rn s true if th is stac k is e m pty.
+ ge tSize(): int R etu rn s th e nu m be r o f elem en ts in th is s tac k.
+ p eek (): O b jec t R etu rn s th e to p e le m en t in th is stac k.
+ p op (): O bjec t R etu rn s and rem ove s th e top elem e nt in th is stac k.
+ pu sh(o: O b je ct): vo id A d d s a n ew elem en t to th e top o f this sta ck .
+ sea rc h(o: O b jec t): int R etu rn s th e po sitio n of th e first e le m en t in th e stac k from
the top th at m atch es the spe cifie d e le m e nt.
39
The protected Modifier
✦ Theprotected modifier can be applied on data
and methods in a class. A protected data or a
protected method in a public class can be accessed
by any class in the same package or its subclasses,
even if the subclasses are in a different package.
✦ private, default, protected, public
Visibility increases
40
Accessibility Summary
public
protected -
default - -
private - - -
41
Visibility Modifiers
package p1;
public class C1 { public class C2 {
public int x; C1 o = new C1();
protected int y; can access o.x;
int z; can access o.y;
private int u; can access o.z;
cannot access o.u;
protected void m() {
} can invoke o.m();
} }
package p2;
42
A Subclass Cannot Weaken the Accessibility
43
NOTE
The modifiers are used on classes and
class members (data and methods), except
that the final modifier can also be used on
local variables in a method. A final local
variable is a constant inside a method.
44
The final Modifier
✦ The final class cannot be extended:
final class Math {
...
}
45